Blood in the Sands
by ZAP IS ZAK
Summary: Set five years after Scorpia, Alex's lost partner Aren, an American agent, has come back mysteriously during a battle against a group of mercenaries in the Middle East. Please remember to review!


Blood in the Sands

I've decided to do a spy novel based in the Alex Rider series. This is the result. I hope you enjoy reading it, and please review.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Alex Rider series, Anthony Horowitz does. Nor do I own the companies that manufacture the guns that I mention

Also, many of these places are fictional, don't get onto me if I say someplace that doesn't exist. It's supposed to be that way.

Another thing, this story is set about five years after Scorpia. I have only read to Scorpia, but not afterwards. Again, don't get onto me for it. He wasn't shot at the end of Scorpia in this story though.

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Prologue

Seoul, South Korea, five years ago.

"Cub, this is Control, do you copy?" Mrs. Jones said into Alex's earpiece. "Copy, I hear you, what is it Control?" There was a hint of worry in his voice, but he tried to hide it. "Your teammate has went missing in the Dwoan Ji district near an old warehouse. Look for him, callsign Oxide." Mrs. Jones said as Alex was already walking towards the cab. "Dwoan Ji district, quick." Alex muttered softly as the little beat-up car sped into the darkness of the streets.

Meanwhile in the warehouse....

"Who do you work for?!" The large man with a shaved-head and considerable build screamed, backhanding Aren Kellings, also known as Oxide. "Like I'd tell you! Burn in hell, you brainless tripe!" He shouted raspily, his sixteen year old frame shaking. "I don't usually kill children," the man began, switching to English, "but you're really tempting me." Aren scoffed, smiling almost psychoticly, "I ain't got nothing to live for, I left it all to get recruited." Looking down, he slid his wrists out of the ropes he was tied in, but kept them there so the man wouldnt notice. "So, you want to die?" He shouted, spittle shooting from his mouth. "No, I'm just saying you won't get anything out of it." Aren mumbled, focusing on the man's throat as he looked for a weak spot. _There, his neck. I can paralyze him with a single blow if I'm careful. _Aren thought, studying closer to make sure he wasn't mistaken. "I'm tired of your jokes, you die today!" The brute bellowed, grabbing a long lead pipe from a table.

At that moment, Aren ducked out of the chair, running low to the ground as he sprang up, striking the man in the small of his back with the chair leg while slamming his knee into the back of the man's.

He started to shout, but only gasped as Aren threw a knee into the man's now exposed throat. "Bastard.." He barely got out in Korean, falling to the ground. "Now where is the key?" He muttered, looking around for the key to the man's car. He twirled the chain on which his forged Driver's License was attached. "Gotta love the USA." He said, seeing the keyring, as well as his earpiece. "Bout time." He said, picking them both up as he exited the building.

"Control, this is Oxide. I'm out of that little situation, moving towards Cub's position." He said happily, trying to ignore the grating pain in his side and the broken tooth. "Copy that Oxide, this is Control, move to the exfil point, over." Mrs. Jones said, relieved.

Back with Alex...

Alex had only met Aren Phillips a few months prior, after the Scorpia attack. Aren was a sixteen-year old American recruited by the Americans after the Skeleton Key conflict.

There were a few differences between the two, but there was one that stood out; Aren was a cold-blooded fighter. Apparently the Americans trains them differently, they teach firearms training as early as possible to new recruits and fighting follows quickly afterwards.

They had just gotten into the city when they were confronted by a few thugs, common gang idiots. One pushed Aren and he just warned him. "_Do it again at your peril._" Well, the man did it again. Aren smiled, looking down as his arm whipped out, a flat palm ramming into the man's throat. He fell over, his windpipe crushed.

That was a week ago, and they had gotten used to each other for the most part. They had small squables, mostly about the names of sports, but Aren thought of those arguements as jokes between the two.

Alex sighed as he heard a ping in his ear, signifying Control was contacting him. "Cub, this is Control. Oxide is out of the warehouse and near Hyongdu Square. Look for him." Alex smiled, relieved. "Copy that, going there now." He looked at the driver and muttered. "Hyongdu Square, Oxide got out." The man looked at him and answered quickly. "Yessir, going there now."

At Hyongdu Square...

Aren tried to mat down his long-ish black hair. Aren was tall with green eyes and balck hair that fell over his eyes. He was actually rather handsome with the exception of a long scar going from one side of his face, across the bridge of his nose, and to the other side. "Oxide, this is Control. Cub will be there shortly, stay alert." He smiled, looking at the neon signs with a huge feeling of relief.

_Finally, this hell of a mission is over, I haven't been home in forever. _He thought peacefully as he sat on the bench beside the road, key in hand as he looked at the car parked on the other side of the street. _I wonder how Leon is doing._ He thought, seeing the image of his gangly eighteen year old brother, smiling widely as he sat on the couch.

On the rooftop of Hyongdu Enterprises....

Dyoza Arimduji sat on the ledge of the Hyongdu building, loading his Sig Sauer Compact SSG3000 rifle as he studied his target, a spy from America.

The "spy" was a sixteen year old kid who had just escaped the Bok-Dyung warehouse. "What the hell am I doing killing some kid?" He muttered, slipping the suppressor onto the rifle as he looked down the scope, centering on his central mass, the chest.

"I don't want to kill him, but business is business." He said, in jagged Korean. _One chance to get this right.... _He thought quietly, inhaling slowly as he felt his finger tense, the trigger falling....

At the Square with Aren....

"I can't wait to get home, I haven't seen Natalia in forever." He said, remembering his girlfriend back in the states. Suddenly, he felt this pain in his chest as a bullet tore into his hooded sweatshirt.

He looked down, blood already seeping through the shirt and in between his fingers. "I....uh, wow....that really hurts." He said, the words distorted. He heard a scream-like sound coming from what seemed like far away. "What are they shouting about?" Aren felt himself shout to someone, but only air came. Sounds were distant and faded. He felt a strange numbness as he looked again. There was blood all over the place; in his hands, on the ground, even on his good jacket.

He heard the shouting of Mrs. Jones in his com, but his frequent shouts into the device came only as gusts of air and spurts of blood. He looked up, seeing the brilliant blue and red lights of an ambulance as he smiled, closing his eyes.

Back with Alex....

"Cub! This is Control, are you okay?" Mrs. Jones shouted into Alex's com only seconds after the shot. His eyes wide as he saw Aren loaded onto a stretcher, blood spewing from the large hole in his chest.

"Yeah, I'm okay. What happened?" He questioned, watching the events unfold in his head. "There was a small puff of smoke from a building and he started bleeding. I heard someone scream as people saw the blood. He just stared at them, not knowing what happened, or not caring even. He was just loaded onto a stretcher in an ambulance." Alex muttered into his mic.

"Abort mission, abort mission. Send a message to the hospital saying that they give us Aren as soon as he is healed, if he is." He heard Mrs. Jones talking in his ear, apparently to another agent as the car followed the ambulance to the hospital.

**Hope you guys liked it! Read and Review! Expect another chapter in a week's time!**

**ZAP IS ZAK**


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